Obituary for Marjorie Joan Fuller

Joan Fuller, 92, of Ponca City, left this world peacefully on March 5, 2015. She was such a loving soul who lived for her family and friends. There was nothing that made her more proud than her 6 children, 15 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren. One of her favorite sayings was “For God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heavens”. As she often told her children we are so very blessed, over and over and over.

Joan was born Sept. 11, 1922 in Ponca City to John Riley and Lois Smith Jack¬son. She grew up on a farm outside Marland, OK until the death of her mother when she was eight. At that time, she moved to Ponca City, OK to live with her aunt, Grace Imogene Smith and attend Jefferson Elementary School. After attending Ponca City Junior High, Joan attended Ponca City High School where she met "the love of her life," Jim Fuller, at a Halloween dance.

After graduating high school in 1940, Joan attended Northern Oklahoma Junior College in Tonkawa and went to work for Continental Oil Company. Jim entered the military and served in the medical corps in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Eleven days after his return, Joan and Jim were married Aug. 25, 1945 at First Presbyterian Church in Ponca City. The newlyweds moved to Chicago in 1946 for Jim to study dentistry at the University of Illinois, School of Dentistry. After earning his doctor of dentistry degree in 1950, the couple returned to Oklahoma and Jim opened his dental practice in Ponca City. He kept his practice for 57 years before retiring in 2009. Jim and Joan were married 66 years at the time of his death in February 2012.

Joan loved her church and was very active in First Presbyterian Church and Campfire throughout her life. She enjoyed gardening, swimming, feeding and watching the birds in the back yard, playing cards, traveling and spending time with her family. Joan was a person of unwavering faith and dedicated her life raising her six children.

Joan is reunited with her husband, Jim; John and Lois her parents; Grace Smith her aunt; and son-in-law Greg Millwee. She is survived by her six children, Marilynn Bartel and husband Mike, of Tulsa; Jani Elkins and husband Mike, of Rockledge, FL; Emily Otto and husband Joe, of Ponca City, Doug Fuller and wife Susie, of Oklahoma City; Barbara Millwee, of Edmond; and Bruce Fuller and wife Morena, of Ponca City. Joan also has 15 grandchildren: Scott, Emilie, Meghan, Preston, Elizabeth, Kathryn, Ross, Alex, Alyssa, Sarah, Presley, Chivas, Riley, Holly and Savannah; and 8 great grandchildren: Logan, Hayden, Baylor, Hudson, Jake, Jaxx, Will and Crystal.

The family would like to thank all the devoted caregivers at Via Christi Village for such loving care since 2009. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Trout Funeral Home in Ponca City. Family visitation will be from 6:00pm to 8:00pm on Tuesday. The memorial service will be held at 11:00am on Wednesday, March 11, 2015 at First Presbyterian Church with a private interment at Odd Fellows Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to First Presbyterian Church 1505 East Grand Avenue Ponca City, OK 74604.

Source: Trout Funeral Home